Islamic State’s Amaq news agency said on Sunday that the Islamist militant group was responsible for the shooting that killed at least 50 people in a massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

“The armed attack that targeted a gay night club in the city of Orlando in the American state of Florida which left over 100 people dead or injured was carried out by an Islamic State fighter,” Amaq said.

50 killed in shooting incident

Fifty people are now known to have died in a shooting in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, the city’s mayor Buddy Dyer has said.

The gunman, named by officials as Omar Mateen, was killed after taking hostages at the Pulse club.

President Barack Obama said Americans were united in grief, outrage and “resolve to defend our people” after “an act of terror and an act of hate”.

The attack is the worst mass shooting in recent US history.

Officials said the killings were likely to be ideologically motivated, though there was no information that the gunman was associated with a particular group.